Shock and Awe

“A twelve-year, autobiographical project examining the relationship between protracted war and homeland decay, Shock and Awe is a meticulously crafted image, text, and found object journal that blurs the line between author and subject, and personal and authoritative histories. Completed over countless years traveling the United States, the project pulls from the traditions of documentary photography and writing set on the American road.
The first edition reproduces both the look and feel of the original, hand-made journal, which was created with transfer prints, found materials, handwriting, and bound in the remains of an abandoned vehicle. The first edition includes all original elements, including strap closure. All prints were carefully matched, every inch of every page has been reproduced.
Shock and Awe was made by middle-class workers in Spain. The paper was sustainably harvested in Finland. The cloth is from New England. Carbon created through production / shipping will soon be offset. This is a work of ‘slow culture.’ I encourage you to ask questions about where your books come from — feel free to drop me a line.”

Etan Rafal’s work deals with the individual and collective experience of violence, and the ways in which subsequent representations of violence inform personal and national mythologies. Photography is the essential space for his practice.www.ethanrafal.com